Restaurants & Food Service
Operating a restaurant or food service business can be energy-intensive. Restaurants, cafes and institutional kitchens can realize significant energy savings by upgrading to high-efficiency equipment for heating and cooling, lighting, cooking, and refrigeration.
Hospitality Retrofits Funding Opportunity Notice (FON)
Efficiency Maine’s Commercial and Industrial Program is offering a funding opportunity notice for hospitality businesses, including restaurants. Click here to learn more about this opportunity.
Heating, Cooling, and Ventilation
Food service businesses can reduce energy costs by upgrading to energy efficient heating and cooling systems, or by adding controls to existing systems.
Ductless Heat Pumps. Ductless heat pumps offer room-by-room control of heating and cooling. Many Maine restaurants are choosing ductless heat pumps as an efficient and quiet way to meet heating and cooling needs in eating spaces.
“We have been very happy with the heat pumps we installed; the entire restaurant was kept warm all winter and they are completely silent! They were the perfect choice.”
– David Poulin
Owner of Fat Cat’s Cafe, Augusta
Efficiency Maine also offers rebates on other high-efficiency heating and cooling equipment and controls:
- Furnaces and Boilers
- Variable Refrigerant Flow Systems
- Controls
High-efficiency lighting can cut energy costs and improve ambiance
Clayton’s Café Bakery in Yarmouth utilizes overhead LED fixtures and LED lights in their refrigerated bakery cases
Lighting
In many restaurants, lights are on for 16-20 hours a day. Upgrading to high-efficiency lighting across your facility can reduce energy costs and enhance the customer and employee experience.
Efficiency Maine offers a variety of lighting incentives:
- Exterior Lighting
- Interior Lighting
- Screw-in LEDs
- Controls
Cooking Equipment
Upgrading to high-efficiency equipment can reduce costs and add convenience.
Scales Restaurant in Portland utilizes
high-efficiency fryers and combination ovens
High-efficiency cooking equipment and appliances not only reduce energy use, they can support more even and faster food preparation. This can reduce food waste and decrease turnover time.
Commercial Refrigeration Equipment
High-efficiency refrigerators and freezers can reduce food storage energy costs by up to 40% compared to standard models.
Refrigerators and freezers are an important part of every commercial kitchen.
Get Started
Ready to upgrade your facility with high-efficiency equipment and appliances? Work with an Efficiency Maine Qualified Partner in order to be eligible for these incentives. See our Qualified Partner video for more information on this process.
Click here to find a Qualified Partner working near you. If you work with a contractor that is not yet a Qualified Partner, urge your contractor to find out more information here. As part of the project approval process, you will accept the C&I Prescriptive Program’s Terms and Conditions.
If you’re interested in getting started with an energy efficiency project in your business but don’t know where to start, you can sign-up for a virtual customer consultation here.
Additional Information
- EnergyStar.gov has guidance for restaurants and other food businesses. Click here to learn more